We're Here For You
by Foreteller Ava
Summary: Minako misses her SEES. Akihiko finds her trying to process everything. [One-Shot] [Set During Persona Q2]


"_Uhhhhh, so are you a student from Gekkoukan High?"_

"_I mean I suspected that I had a few secret fans at school, but to think I'd meet one here in this weird place."_

"_But none of us know her - myself included."_

Minako had meant it when she'd told the Phantom Thieves she was happy so long as the rest of SEES was there, and that she wanted to help them. Their leader, whomever he may have been, deserved to be safe from harm and she had a feeling he'd do the exact same thing if this were her SEES and he was the one who had been dumped away from them. He was their leader after all, and she couldn't imagine SEES taking a leader who wouldn't do anything for them.

But even with the knowledge that he would help her too, it didn't take away from the fact that this wasn't her SEES.

They wore the faces of her friends, they acted like her friends, they even talked amongst each other like her friends, but they didn't know who she was. And she didn't want to acknowledge this in front of them. They couldn't know, and if that meant that she had to hide in the Kamoshidaman theater curled up in a ball so they wouldn't notice, then she could handle that. She kept her sobs as quiet as possible, hoping to avoid attracting anybody's attention.

"Minako?" The moment she heard her name in his voice, Minako bit her arm, hoping to stifle any noise. "Minako, are you here? We're planning on heading out soon, all of us are looking for you?"

"Senpai, did you find her yet?" Now it was Yukari who approached. "Mitsuru-senpai and Junpei said she wasn't in either of the other two theaters. And Fuuka and I couldn't find her in the bathroom like she said."

"Not yet. Go report to Mitsuru and have Akira check the Velvet Room. If she's like our leader, then she could just be trying to strengthen our arsenal before we go out." Akihiko's voice was determined as he gave directions to Yukari.

"What about you?" Minako could only hope Yukari would leave soon. It was bad enough that Akihiko would have to see her like this, Yukari didn't have to too.

"I'm gonna check the whole theater. We can't leave without her." Any of Minako's hopes of not being found were quickly dashed as she realized there was no way she could slip out of the Kamoshidaman theater without being spotted by at least one of the two.

As she heard footsteps running off, indicating Yukari taking her lead, she quickly started wiping her eyes, removing any tears from them while ignoring Akihiko's calls. _Wipe tears. Take deep breaths._ If she didn't look like she was crying, then it'd be just like always. Even her SEES only had very little of an idea of how much everything hurt her. If she could fool her SEES, she could fool this group too. She just had to keep-

"Minako, I'm glad you're alright." The look of relief on Akihiko's face almost made her collapse then and there. Even without being her Akihiko, he was so worried…

She put on a smile, one that was big, bright, and familiar. "Akihiko-senpai!" She hid her arms behind her back, hiding any tear stains that might be on the sleeves while she hoped the dim lighting of the theater would hide the rest. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. We're about to head back into the movie to find our leader. Akira wanted you on main team, wouldn't leave without you either." Somehow, that wasn't a surprise. Akira had checked on her before he'd gone into the theater, he probably had chosen her for main team so she wouldn't have an excuse to stay behind.

"I'll be ready in a minute." She chirped, although the false cheer in her voice was tangible even to her, although she hoped it would be enough to fool the ever dense Akihiko. "Tell Akira I'm fine, and that I'll be out shortly."

Akihiko nodded, and Minako felt her shoulders relax. "I'll go report…" His voice trailed off as he gave her another hard look. "Are you alright? I assumed you were, but..." Then he'd noticed something off about her, even without being her Akihiko. Whether it was the red eyes, or flushed face, she wasn't sure. But he cared about her, even in the short amount of time it had been since he'd met her.

(The opposite of the half a year she had known him. The time in which she'd helped him through so much, and he'd helped her.)

"I'll be fine." She put her hand out, attempting to give Akihiko proof of her strength. "It's just...a lot to take in. That's all." Akihiko raised an eyebrow, almost as though now that she had revealed a small portion of the truth he didn't believe that was all of it.

After another moment of silence, she spoke again. "I miss my SEES. Being with the Phantom Thieves and Investigation Team was hard, but it wasn't so bad because I could look forward to seeing them."

"I want to help you all find your leader, but seeing you all was the hardest because you're all so similar and just proof that my SEES won't be in the next film. Junpei is just like my Junpei, the most loyal guy I've ever met and so desperately in love with Chidori even if she's working with Strega that it's tearing him in two. And I can almost taste Fuuka's botched treats that she's trying so hard to make for us all to appreciate. And you're so much like my Aki, with all the subtle ways you show you care and…" She trailed off for a moment when she noticed his dumbfounded expression. At first, she assumed it was because of the fact that she was confessing all this to him, but then it hit her.

She called him Aki.

"I'm sorry, Senpai." She bowed her head apologetically. "That's a nickname only for you and Shinjiro-san, I shouldn't…"

"We're close in your world, aren't we?" It wasn't hard to guess. She'd said it herself, it was a name that only his childhood best friend referred to him as. With this Akihiko, it wasn't her place. She nodded slowly, and the look he gave her in return broke her heart.

Guilt was written plan as day on his face, from the way his brows furrowed and his eyes looked down to the uneasy turn of his mouth. He felt guilty for something completely out of his control. For hurting her when it wasn't even his fault. And that was so completely him.

She'd come here to be alone so she wouldn't have to make the members of the other SEES feel bad, and yet she'd failed at that entirely. "It's not your fault." She wanted to reassure him. It really wasn't his fault that she was alone. It wasn't anybody's, and even if it was, she didn't blame him for it.

Akihiko shook his head. She knew he wouldn't buy it, this was the same man who spent years beating himself up over the death of his sister. "Doesn't matter who's fault it is. You don't deserve to feel alone while you're here." At that moment, Akihiko pulled her into a hug in an attempt at comfort. In spite of knowing this was a different Akihiko with different feelings, she still felt her face flush at the sudden contact.

"Thank you, senpai." She returned the hug, a slight smile on her face, this one much more genuine than the bright one from just a little while earlier.

Akihiko pulled away, smiling at her. "You look happier than you did when I first came in."

"Because I am." And it was true. She still hurt from the lack of her friends, but that didn't mean she couldn't make the best of it, couldn't avoid letting herself feel so down in the future. "You said Akira was looking for me, right? We shouldn't keep him waiting any longer, we have to find your leader after all!"

Akihiko nodded and started leading the way before stopping for a moment. "Minako...if you're ever feeling down like this again. Let us know."

"We may not truly be your SEES, but just like them, we're here for you."

* * *

**So this is my first time I've ever written something Persona and I'm still new to the series so if there are mistakes in characterization or anything please let me know for the future! **

**Anyways, I beat P3P a little while ago and have been working through PQ2 and let Minako cry Atlas. She's an honest to god joy and I love her but let her cry.**

**And yes, I know that technically Shinji is alive in FeMC's timeline in PQ2 and if he's still alive then Minako wouldn't be calling Akihiko "Aki" but shut up and let me live.**

**Thanks for Reading!**

**~Foreteller Ava/Nicole Peach**


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